2027 Elections: OAAN Warned Against Political Pressure
As Nigeria heads towards the 2027 general elections, stakeholders in the Out-of-Home advertising industry have called for greater regulatory consistency, political neutrality and fair access to advertising platforms to prevent the campaign season from undermining industry growth.
The warning came at the 41st Annual General Meeting of the Out-of-Home Advertising Association of Nigeria (OAAN) in Abeokuta, where industry leaders examined the opportunities and risks surrounding political advertising.
With the theme “OOH Media in Political Campaign Season: Policies, Politics and Fair Practice,” the AGM brought renewed attention to the position of outdoor advertising as one of the most visible communication channels during elections.
Fair Access Must Define Political Advertising
Delivering the keynote address, Hon. Theodore Ekechi said the industry must prepare for the political pressures that typically accompany election cycles while ensuring that professional standards are not compromised.
He identified policy shifts, regulatory inconsistencies, unethical competition, vandalism, disputes over advertising rights and allegations of preferential treatment as recurring challenges facing the sector.
Ekechi argued that the responsibility before OAAN goes beyond maximising commercial opportunities during elections. The Association, he said, must ensure that professional integrity remains stronger than politically driven pressures.
He stressed that access to outdoor advertising inventory should be determined by transparent commercial principles rather than political affiliation.
“Elections should be contests of ideas rather than contests of unequal access to communication channels,” he said, maintaining that qualified political parties and candidates should have equal opportunity to purchase available advertising space, subject to applicable laws and regulations.
He warned that selective enforcement of regulations could damage confidence in both the industry and the electoral process.
Regulatory Uncertainty Threatens Investment
Ekechi also raised concerns over the tendency for new fees, levies and regulatory requirements to emerge during election cycles.
He noted that Nigeria already has institutions and laws governing advertising, political campaigns, electoral conduct, public safety and related matters.
Questioning the rationale for introducing new requirements during the campaign period, he asked: “Why enact a new rule while the match is in play? Why change the goal post while the match is in play?”
He maintained that predictable regulation was essential to investment, arguing that businesses are more willing to commit resources when they can anticipate regulatory expectations and plan with confidence.
OAAN Must Put Its House in Order
Beyond engaging regulators and policymakers, Ekechi challenged OAAN to strengthen its own governance and self-regulatory framework.
He called for the Association to lead sustained stakeholder education and awareness while developing stronger mechanisms to promote transparency in pricing, advertising space allocation, contract administration and access to inventory.
He also urged OAAN to advocate greater alignment among regulatory agencies to address conflicting directives that create uncertainty for operators.
For Ekechi, the credibility of the Association will depend partly on its ability to maintain high standards within its own ranks while advocating fairness externally.
Political Neutrality as OAAN’s Strongest Asset
Ekechi further warned the Association against becoming entangled in political interests as the election season approaches.
He said individual practitioners have the right to their political preferences, but OAAN must remain institutionally neutral.
“Political neutrality is perhaps the greatest asset of any professional association,” he said, stressing that the Association must speak with one professional voice rather than multiple political voices.
According to him, perceived political alignment could erode stakeholder confidence and undermine OAAN’s ability to effectively represent the interests of the industry.
OAAN Pushes Charter and Audience Measurement
The AGM also highlighted two major initiatives considered important to the future development of the industry: the pursuit of chartered status and the ongoing OOH audience measurement exercise.
OAAN President, Dr. Sola Akinsiku, reaffirmed the Association’s commitment to securing chartered status, saying the initiative was gaining support within relevant circles across the marketing communications industry.
He described the move as a potential catalyst for transforming the sector, improving service delivery and strengthening productivity and profitability.
Akinsiku also disclosed significant progress on the industry’s audience measurement initiative, noting that critical sectors within marketing communications had subscribed to the exercise.
He expressed optimism that the initiative would produce reliable and industry-wide accepted data for measuring the reach and effectiveness of OOH platforms, an issue that could significantly influence how outdoor media is bought, deployed and evaluated in Nigeria.
ARCON Backs Greater Regulatory Alignment
The Director-General of the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON), Dr. Olalekan Fadolapo, also called for greater alignment among stakeholders.
Fadolapo commended OAAN for responding to changes in the advertising environment and said the AGM theme was particularly relevant as the country moves towards another political campaign season.
He acknowledged that state signage agencies were developing different rules and stressed the need for continuous review, engagement and alignment within the regulatory framework.
According to him, OOH advertising remains strategically important to advertising and economic activity, making a responsible and coordinated regulatory environment essential.
He urged stakeholders to prioritise collective industry interests over personal considerations in resolving regulatory issues.
The Presidents of MIPAN, Mr. Dozie Okafor, and EXMAN, Mrs. Tolulope Medebem, also commended OAAN for addressing the issue at a critical time for the industry.
As political activity builds towards 2027, the message from the OAAN AGM is clear: the OOH industry can benefit significantly from election advertising, but its commercial opportunity must not come at the expense of fairness, regulatory certainty, professional integrity and public confidence.
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